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RNC 2012: 8 takeaways

TAMPA, Fla. — The sometimes soggy, slightly-shortened GOP convention is over. The party leaves this steamy city itching to beat President Barack Obama, finally accepting its new standard-bearer after his emotional acceptance speech and feeling a sense of comfort that its future could rest in the hands of two of this week’s stars: Ryan and Rubio.

They leave more confident that Romney has a fall fight in him, and he certainly tried hard to win them over. He gave them a greater sense of his story, delivered powerfully through movies, testimonials, his wife’s address and his own Thursday night, in which he choked up at times, and at others brought the crowd to its feet.

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In a speech that was heavier than normal on biography, the candidate accepted his nomination by talking about the “disappointment” of Obama’s tenure, the desperate need for corrective action this election, and the promises the president made that weren’t met.

The speech was largely an expanded version of his stump address, but it was well-written, and well-delivered. He performed as well as he has this cycle. Even Romney’s detractors in the party said they thought he turned in a strong enough performance to help himself with voters just tuning in, and those beyond the GOP base. The nominee talked about his father in familiar terms to those who’ve watched his speeches, but with genuine emotion, his voice catching at times.

The former Bain Capital head touted his business experience at length, before a televised audience of millions.

Romney has tended toward the “in sorrow, not anger” approach toward Obama for much of the cycle, and he went there again last night, after recently using words like Obama’s campaign of “hate” and “anger” in to characterize the president.

Romney’s best line of the night claimed that the most excitement surrounding Obama came on the day people voted for him. He hit a recurring line among Republicans for the past year, that Obama is Jimmy Carter 2.0. He did touch on the Medicare issue, albeit in passing.

Topics he did not deal with — his Massachusetts record, the state-based health care plan he pushed through, the war in Afghanistan.

Romney is not a naturally gifted speaker, and selling himself has remained a struggle. The expectations were low, but he did a commanding job on the convention’s final night.

The commentary in the next few days will determine whether he was able to change the arc of a campaign that’s seen a very rough July and August. Romney will likely get criticized by Democrats and some commentators for a lack of specifics - he outlined a contrasting governing philosophy with the incumbent. And in the short term, he may indeed see a bump.

2. Rubio electrified.

Marco Rubio’s speech introducing Romney was among the best-received of the convention, as he delivered an emotional punch in a different way than Ryan did the night before. He told an aspirational story about his upbringing as a Cuban-American, speaking about his experience as deeply grounded in the American experience.

He described Romney as the best person to reclaim American exceptionalism, and framed much of the beginning of his speech as an attack on Obama. Other than the distraction of the red, lava lamp-like background behind Rubio, he was a success, and his speech played well on television.

It’s a little less clear how Clint Eastwood, the convention’s surprise guest who preceded Rubio, played on the small screen. The aging actor, his voice at times garbled, ad-libbed and riffed with a stool next to him, improvising an odd conversation with an imaginary Obama.

He can safely claim the title of first prime-time speaker at a political convention to lead the crowd in a chorus of, “Go ahead, make my day.”

The Romney family semmed less than thrilled when the camera panned to them, and the campaign made a game attempt at describing the actor as beyond the bounds of normal political discourse. But it was a disjointed moment on what was the most serious night of the convention.

I found it very appropriate that Clint Eastwood chose to address an imaginary President Obama. Romney has been running against a fictional President Obama for months (apology tour, robbing Medicare, gutting welfare reform, etc). Republicans will be very surprised and distraught when they wake up on Wednesday, November 7 and realize that most of America saw past the caricature of President Obama they decided to run against. Voters know that President Obama is a great American who was handed a very bad situation but made it better and will continue to do so during his second term.

Here's the real take away: Mittens did NOTHING to prevent him from getting his butt kicked on November 6. From Eastwood to Mitt's bitter speech that disgracefully brought up First Lady Michelle Obama, Mittens proved that he is not ready for the presidency. This nation has already suffered mightily under two terms of Dubya Bush. It DOES NOT need a third term of Dubya's nightmarish, destructive policies. Come November 7, Mittens will become nothing more than a forgotten historical footnote, and President Obama will begin preparations for his second term of strong, competent leadership.

it was painful to watch the freewheeling Eastwood crash and burn and to imagine how the Romney team experienced Clint's mocking policy differences. While expecting a hero to ride in on his white horse to glitter the campaign, Romney ended up with the scatterings of an aging, Palin-style maverick.

#9 Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will be defeated this upcoming November. Nice speech for many Republicans, especially Rubio and Ryan but did they talk about any real policies, plans, HOW THEY WILL SAVE THE ECONOMY? No! They wasted 80% of their speeches bashing Obama. No one wants to hear distorted facts about Obama presidency.... If you think you can do "better" then please prove it will specific laid out plans on how you plan to do this. Romney is a businessman so he should know by now that you can't go into business meetings with specific ideas/ plans. I fully expect the DNC to give us specific ideas/ plans next week, please stop with the "stump speeches." Can't wait until these debates start.

I’ve been looking for thanks and praise from these conservtive Republicans for the troops fighting and dying for our freedom and liberty in the war in Afghanistan, and I’m having some trouble finding them.

I know Condoleezza Rice, a strong conservative, was very gracious in her speech. She gained a lot of respect from me for that. Really. Good on her.

There was another conservative woman who listed “heroic military” in a long list of American attributes, if I recall. But, I’m afraid I can’t remember her name. Honestly, I’d never heard of her before. Perhaps someone can remind me.

John McCain was honorable, and asked for God’s blessings on the troops. I’m so deeply impressed by that, although I can’t say it wasn’t completely unexpected from that good and decent man.

But, he’s not a real conservative though, is he? He’s a RINO. But, that doesn’t matter. He thanked the troops, and that matters.

Paul Ryan offered one excellent sentence of thanks. Very generous of him to offer one whole sentence.

Now, Mitt Romney, severe conservative, said this:

Every American was relieved the day President Obama gave the order, and Seal Team Six took out Osama bin Laden.

Our military has many exceptional hero’s. Many men and women who have risked their lives and lost more than we can imagine for our freedom and liberty. Seal Team Six are among them, and we do honor them. And their families.

But, beyond these I’m at a loss.

Chris Christie, Rick Santorum, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Ann Romney.

All the others.

Some really big names. All those governors.

I’m not really finding any others.

Can someone help me find them. Because I have some military friends, and their families - a couple with some real serious medical problems they’re dealing with - and I’d like to pass them on to them so that they’re assured that the conservative Republicans we’re 100% behind them during their convention.

Then we’ll watch and see what Obama and the Democrats have to say about the troops.

I agree mostly with Nate Silver's takeaway on Romney's speech, and no, I don't feel Mitt Romney made any big lies in his speech. Paul Ryan, well, yeah, he made some quite blatant lies and distortions, but Romney had a very generic speech, he clearly wanted to avoid any landmines and painted himself as a very generic alternative.

Romney's speech was mostly fluff. Not even very inspiring fluff, since he's not the best orator, but nor was it damaging fluff. It was just fluff, and I have a hard time thinking that this speech will translate to any real lasting gains in the polls, even if he does get a transient bounce.

If Romney wants to win the election, he'll need to eventually spell out his plans before the debates, because while Republicans can say 'factchecking organizations are shilling for the Democrats' all they like, when a debate is going on, saying 'factcheck.org is a liberal shill' will not be a strong defense when Obama points out that Romney's proposed budget simply cannot work without raising taxes for the poor and middle class. At least not without a lot more specifics. Romney is leaving himself wide open for attack after attack during the debates and has provided little areas of decent rebuttals. Without a lot more specifics that actually make sense, fluff speeches like this do not shield Romney from what's about to happen.

His only saving grace is that his coffers are much more fully stocked, but Obama has shown he's good at getting free press, making it unwise for him to rely on just outspending Obama to secure the office. I don't think he can rely on running this kind of campaign straight through till November, the race may be close, but the polls have been remarkably consistant with an Obama lead and few undecided.

If the convention can't give Romney a major bounce, I doubt the debates will, which makes me have strong doubts Romney can move the polls in his favor in the last two months. I could be wrong, but that's my takeaway.

Yawn. More tripe from good old reliable liberals like Maggie Haberman..star of various carnivals on BSNBC. Look Americans are not stupid....well at least those that aren't liberal are not stupid. Poll after poll suggest that Americans know the mainstream media is in the tank for Obammy. So among the MSM, heads are exploding because this race is so close and as more bad news surfaces about the economy, the road ahead for Obammy gets rockier and rockier. The MSM is desperate to change the subject. Obammy promised to calm the oceans and heal the planet....really? And in front of Greek columns I might add. Great symbolism...columns from a country teetering on bankrupcty and dismissal from the EU due to out of control government spending, greedy public employees' unions and seriously underfunded pension plans....sound familar? Obie...promises, promises, hope and change. Well we see every day how that is working out for average Americans. There are 23 million people unemployed or underemployed. Millions have stopped looking for work as unemployment has been above 8% for 43 months, the longest stretch since the Great Depression. The labor participation rate hasn't been this low since 1982. Obie PROMISED that if his stimulus package was enacted, unemployment would not rise above 8%...verdict...broken promise. He pledged to cut the deficit in half during his first term...instead he added $5.5 trillion in new debt, the most ever by a POTUS...verdict...broken promise. He promised hope and change and delivered 45 million people on food stamps, a 16% poverty rate, and a loss in net worth/median income not seen since the Great Depression.....verdict...more broken promises. Listen up college graduates...if you voted for Obammy in 2008 because he offered you hope and change and what you got instead when you graduated was mounting debt, 53% unemployment and the chance to move back home with Mom and Dad...vote for REAL CHANGE IN 2012....vote for Romney/Ryan.